This invention is directed to the providing of an alarm or signalling device which is designed to be utilized in combination with a portable fire extinguisher. Numerous fire code provisions necessitate the placement of relatively small sized, hand carried and highly portable fire extinguishers in places so as to be immediately available in case of fire. Therefore, the extinguishers cannot be stored in a secured or locked area or cabinet. They must be maintained in a physical location such that they are available and ready for use. This presents a problem in that thefts of fire extinguishers occur because the extinguishers are often located in remote or normally unobserved locations. The dangerous consequences of these thefts are most fully recognized when an emergency arises which requires a fire extinguisher, but none can quickly be found due to the theft of the extinguisher.
Previous attempts have addressed themselves to this problem in providing for an anti-theft alarm system for such readily portable fire extinguishers. There have been basically two approaches to the problem. One approach has been to incorporate an alarm system into the cabinet containing the fire extinguisher in such a manner that the opening of the cabinet activates the alarm mechanism. The second approach has been to incorporate the alarm system into the support device for the fire extinguisher in such a manner that the removal of the extinguisher from its support activates the alarm. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,034,697 and 4,015,250 are examples of the first described approach, while U.S. Pat. No. 3,893,095 is an example of the second approach. Both approaches have their drawbacks. With the first approach, it is possible to remove the fire extinguisher from its cabinet by cutting the glass cover so as not to actuate the alarm. With the second approach, it is possible to circumvent the actuation of the alarm by the insertion of an appropriate object to restrain the alarm mechanism. Also, with either approach, once the extinguisher is removed (stolen) recovery of the extinguisher is difficult, if not impossible.